Sewing machine



June 27, 1944.

B. T. LEVEQUE SEWING MACHINE 5 SheetS-Sheet 1 Original Filed June 17,1941 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed. June 17, 1941 June 27, 1944.

a B. T. LEVEQUE SEWING MACHINE Original Filed June 17, 1941 5Sheets-Sheet s June 27, 1944.

B. T. LEVEQUE SEWING MACHINE Original Filed June 17, 1941 b Sheets-Sheet4 June 27,1944. 3, T LEVE UE v 2,352,275 SEWING MACHINE Original FiledJune 17, 1941 5Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented June 27, 1944 UNIT'EDIC STATES'QOFFICE 1,

v k N SEWING n 7 Bernard T. Leveque, Wenhain, Mass, assignor to vUnitedShoe Machinery Corporation, Flemington, N. J., acorporation of NewJersey Original'application June 1'7; 1941, Serial No.

1942, Serial No. 444,255

' 30laims. (cine-5.6)

The present invention relates to'machines for sewing shoes or otherarticles composed of stiff, heavy materials, and is hereinafterillustrated as embodied in a shoe sewing machine of the straight hookneedle type disclosed in U. S. Letproved mode of operation and moreparticularly to provide such a machine having a simplified and improvedcast-off actuating mechanism.

With the above object in view, the invention consists in the improvedconstructions, combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafterdescribed and claimed, the advantages of which will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art from the following description.

Referring to-the drawings,"Fig. 1 is a view in front elevation'of amachine embodying the features of the present invention; Fig. 2 is aview in front elevation of the lower portion of the machine, a coverlate having been broken away to illustrate the needle cast-01f actuatingmech* anisms; Fig. 3 is asectional view taken along the line 3-3 in Fig.2 :Fig. 4 is a sectional plan view taken along the line 44 of Fig. 3;Fig. 5 is another sectional plan view taken along the line 55 of Fig. 3;Fig; 6 is a view in front elevation of the stitch forming devicesillustrating the positions assumed just before the awl enters the workto form a perforation for a new stitch; Fig. 7 is a view of the stitchforming devices just after the awl has penetrated the work and theneedle has withdrawn; Fig. 8 is a detail view on an enlarged scale ofthe needle cast-off illustrating the positions assumed with relation tothe work, as indicated in Fig. 6; Fig. 9 is a similar view correspondingto the positions of Fig. 7; Fig. 10 is a view in front elevation of thestitch forming devices showing the needle as it begins to enter thework; and Fig. 11 is a view of the same parts taken during work feedingmovement of the needle.

The sewing machine illustrated in the drawings is a chainstitch straighthook needle machine having an awl operating from above and the needlefrom below the work. A work feeding movement is imparted to the needlewhile engaging the work to advance the work a stitch length. The stitchforming devices of the ma- Divided and this'application May 25,

chine are driven from a main sewing shaft through cranks, pitmen andsuitable connections between the stitch forming devices and the sewingshaft, as in the machine of the Merrick patents above identified.

In the illustrated machine, the straight hook needle is shown at 2operating from below a for- Wardly projecting arm of a work support 4,and an awl at fi'operating from above the work support and at the sameside of the work support with a presser foot 8 movable towards and fromthe work support to clam-p the work adjacent the points of needle andawl operation; Other stitch forming devices including a looper l0 and acastoff'l! all operate in a manner similar, except as hereinafterdescribed, to the corresponding devicesin the machine of the patents.The awl is actuated by a crank IS on a main sewing shaft l8 and theneedle from a crank 20 on an auxiliary shaft 22 driven from the mainsewing shaft.

In the machine of the Merrick patents, the needle is actuated whileengaging the workto feed the work by one mechanism and to reinforce theneedle, as well as to otherwise facilitate sewing and workfeedingoperations, the cast-off of that machine is actuated to coverthebarb of the needle by another mechanism separate and independent fromthe needle feeding mechanism. The cast-off 12 of the present machine isa reversely bent pointed arm illustrated most clearly in Figs. 2 and 6to 11 inclusive, having a groovedupper end fitting the barbed sidesurface of the needle 2 and is actuated by the same mechanism employedto impart work feeding movements to the needle.

The needle bar 82 reciprocates in a carrier 210 formed at its lower endwith a horizontal bore fitting a bar 212 and at its upper end with arectangular lug loosely supported in a slot in the machine frame, whichguide bar and slot act as guideway members for the carrier duringfeeding movements of the needle. The cast-off is supported on a bar 214slidingly mounted in suitable bearings of the carrier 210 in advance ofthe needle bar 82 with respect to the direction of feed and the cast-offis bent towards the needle partially surrounding it along the barbedside of its surface, the cast-off bar bearings being parallel to thoseof the needle bar. By constructing and arranging the cast-offin thisway, it is possible to cause the cast-off to follow the needle hookclosely as the needle retracts from the work (Fig. 6) and to be retainedto advantage in a position between the work and arm 284 surrounding athree-cornered feed cam 286 on the sewing shaft 22. At the angle of thelink 278, there is a stud screw 288 on which is rotatably mounted a pairof blocks" 290' and 292. Th block 290 is slidingly disposed between theflanges of a channeled guide arm 294 adjustably secured at an angle tothe vertical in the frame of the machine and the block 292 slidesbetween with respect to the needle feeding mechanism that as the needleis disengaged from the work (Fig. 6), the back feeding movement isstarted. As indicated in Figs. 7 and 9, when the needle has reached thelower end of its stroke, the upper pointed end of the cast-off ismid-way between the work and the hook of the needle so that the needlehook is free and unobstructed.

The nature and scope of the invention having been indicated, and aparticular embodiment of the invention having been specificallydescribed, what is claimed is:

l. A shoe sewing machine having, in combina- ,tion, a hook needle, asewing shaft, mechanism parallel downward extensions from the needle Ibar carrier 210. To secure the guide arm 2% in adjusted position, it hasa rearwardly extending stud 296 journaled in the machine frame (seeFigs. 3, 4 and 5), and a slotted clamping sector 298' is fixed to thestud outside the frame, a cap screw 3% passing through the slot in thesector and into the side of the frame to clamp the sector to the frame.

The. feed cam 286 is shaped to cause the link 218 to be reciprocatedvertically in the direction of needle reciprocation after. the needleenters the work (Fig. which movement causes the block 292 to slide inthe channel of arm 294 to impart a horizontal work feeding component ofmovement, as illustrated in Fig. 11 to the upper end of link 278 as aresult of the angle at which the arm 294 is set. The horizontalcomponent of movement in the link 218 is transmitted to the needlecarrier through the block 292 engaging the downward extensions from thecarrier. 7 The extent of feeding movement imparted to the needle carrieris readily adjustable by changing the angle of the channel-arm 294 afterhaving loosened the cap screw 300. In changing the extent of movement ofthe needle carrier, the vertical movement of the link 218 and thereforeof the cast-off remains the same. 7

It is necessary for the cast-off toengage the work in. a chainstitchsewing machine only as the threaded hook of the needle is beingwithdrawn from the Work. In the present machine, this occurs when theneedl carrier'hasreached the end of its work feeding movement (see Figs.6 and 8). The mechanism for actuating the needle towards and from thework is so timed for actuating the needle towards and from the work,mechanism including a carrier for imparting a, work feeding movement tothe needle while engaging the work, and a cast-off mounted in th carrierto move with the needle during feeding movement and operated by the workfeeding mechanism towards the work to cover the hook on the needle asthe threaded needle withdraws from the .work. 7 H

2. A shoe sewing machine having, in combinar tion, a hook needle, asewing shaft, mechanism for actuating the needle towards and from thework, mechanism including a carrier in which the needle is mounted forimparting a work feeding movement to the carrier while the needleengages the work, a cast-off mounted in the carrier for sliding movementparallel to the movement of the needle towards and from the work, and aconnection between the carrier mechanism and the cast-off to cause thecast-off to cover the hook on the needle as the threaded needlewithdraws from the Work, I

3 A shoe sewing machine having, in combination, a hook needle, a sewingshaft, mechanism for actuating the needle towards and from the work,mechanism for imparting a work feeding movement to the needle includinga carrier in which the needle reciprocates towards and from the work, alink connected to the carrier and actuated in the direction of needlereciprocation, a cast-off connected to the link to cover the hook oftheneedle as the threadedhook disengages the work, a guide arm for the linkto cause a component of movement in .the link to be imparted to' thecarrier, and means for adjusting the position of the guide arm tochangethe component of movement imparted to the carrier without changingthe movements of the cast-off.

. BERNARD T. LEVEQUE.

